Chesswas

The famous place name Chiswick has produced a number of dialectual variant spellings including Cheswees recorded in London in 1644. One William Cheswees married Margery Coole at St. Margaret Moses and Elizabeth Cheswis married Thomas Johnson in 1620 at St. Giles Cripplegate. Elizabeth Chaswiss was recorded in 1779 whilst George Chesswas married Fanny Baraham in 1875 at Isleworth Church. The name is Olde English pre 9th century 'Ches-wic' and translates as 'the cheese farm', Gatwick being 'the goat farm'. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Cheswicke. which was dated 1574 (Married) Johan Smale at Peter le Poer, London. during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I 'Good Queen Bess' 1558-1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.